Misia no Mori: Forest Covers

Misia no Mori: Forest Covers (MISIAのもり -Forest Covers-, lit. "Misia's Forest") is the first covers album by Japanese singer Misia. It was released by Ariola Japan on December 14, 2011.[1] The album consists of cover versions of songs by soul musicians, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, among others, reworked Christmas standards and one newly recorded original song by Misia.[2]

Misia no Mori: Forest Covers
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 14, 2011 (2011-12-14)
Genre
Length40:33
LabelAriola Japan
Producer
Misia chronology
Soul Quest
(2011)
Misia no Mori: Forest Covers
(2011)
Super Best Records: 15th Celebration
(2013)

Background and release

According to Misia, the idea for a covers album came about "naturally".[3] She had recently covered "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", and had been performing it on The Tour of Misia Japan Soul Quest tour,[4] and over the summer she was offered the chance to record a cover version of the Charlie Chaplin classic "Smile" for the computer-animated film Friends: Mononoke Shima no Naki,[5] which Misia recorded with three children's choral groups from Sendai, one of the cities affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[1] Misia felt that the best vehicle to release this material would be a covers album.[3] With Japan still reeling from the aftermath of the March 11 events, she chose songs with an uplifting message and that felt relevant to the current climate, namely songs about hope, unity and the environment.[3]

The title of the album refers to a real forest in Tsubata, Ishikawa that was named after Misia, as part of a project aiming to raise awareness on biodiversity conservation through on-location activities, music and art.[6] A few songs off the album received commercial tie-ins; "What a Wonderful World" was used in commercials for Secom,[7] and "Ōkina Ai no Ki no Shita de" in commercials for House Foods's Hokkaido stew seasoning mix,[8] starring Rena Tanaka.

Commercial performance

Misia no Mori: Forest Covers entered the daily Oricon Albums Chart at number 8, where it also peaked.[9] It debuted at number 10 on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, selling 13,000 copies on its first week.[10][11] The album debuted one spot higher, at number 9, on the Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales chart.[12] Misia no Mori: Forest Covers charted for nine weeks on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling a reported total of 29,000 copies during its run.[11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Smile"3:57
2."Heal the World"
  • Michael Jackson
5:07
3."The Rose"3:22
4."What a Wonderful World"2:50
5."Ribbon in the Sky" (Japanese Version)
  • Stevie Wonder
4:24
6."Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
  • Marvin Gaye
5:25
7."This Christmas"
  • Donny Hathaway
3:55
8."White Christmas"2:04
9."Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"6:19
10."Ōkina Ai no Ki no Shita de" (大きな愛の木の下で, "Under a Big Tree of Love")
  • Misia
  • Hinata
  • JP
 3:10
Total length:40:33

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Japan Daily Albums (Oricon)[9] 8
Japan Weekly Albums (Oricon)[10] 10
Japan Monthly Albums (Oricon)[11] 33
Japan Top Albums Sales (Billboard)[12] 9

Sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan 28,643[11]

References

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